For training snipers of the police, the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces of Germany) and of special forces units it is known to employ targets in the form of a human silhouette. These are usually made of metal or cardboard and move on tracks or attached to wires through a simple scenario of a simulated crime scene. In the process, it is important for the sniper not to become distracted by the multitude of impressions from the simulated situation permitting the sniper to lock on and hit the target in a very short time. Among other uses, the silhouette depicting a human is used to train how the silhouette of the simulated target person has been hit since in a real situation, the task of a sniper can change within fractions of a second. If the situation initially only demands to stop a perpetrator, so that he cannot cause further damage or physical injury, it might become suddenly necessary within fractions of a second to fire the so called “final shot to save lives”. This “aimed lethal use of firearms by police officers in terms of emergency relief” is to be used to avert threats to third parties if and only if no other means are available. To stop a perpetrator, aimed shots are tested, which are intended to preferably immobilize the target person without killing her or without injuring her through permanent and serious physical damage. In such a situation, it is necessary for the sniper to contemporaneously survey the overall situation, to lock on to the target person, and make the ethically difficult decision between a man stopping shot and, if applicable, a final shot to save lives all within fractions of a second. To practice this situation, metal or cardboard targets running through the simulated scenario at a shooting range are not sufficient. The metal or cardboard targets are predictable and are insufficient to cause effects other than surprise by sudden appearance or movement of the target.
To create simulated combat or crime situations for more realistic simulations, it is known to drive dummies mounted on an armoured small vehicle through a scenario. The small vehicle can be remotely controlled by the instructor and even autonomous systems that move through a simulated fighting scenario independently may be used. The autonomously moving dummies have a more realistic effect for the sniper from a distance, which is also helpful for the training of the emotional pressure in addition to the physical strain and the precise sighting and aiming.
With the international PCT-patent application WO 2011/035363 A1, a system for the training of armed personnel is revealed where dummies are mounted on small vehicles that are participants in a simulated fighting situation remotely controlled by a central control unit. These dummies are able to indicate to a suitable sensor system, if they have been hit or not. Within the US-application 2014/0356817 A1 a system according to the abovementioned WO 2011/035363 A1 is enhanced by the dummies moving on small vehicles through the simulated fighting scenario reacting to the fighting incidents by being remotely controlled by a central server. That way, it is possible to influence the actions of other dummies via the central server that is influencing the fighting activities.
The abovementioned dummies have the disadvantage in that they are less suitable for the initially mentioned training situation, namely to make the decision within fractions of a second. If the target person simulated by the dummy has to be stopped or even has to be killed, the abovementioned dummy arrangements are insufficient to replicate this fraction of a second decision making situation. Especially, the situation that takes place when the target person simulated by the dummy is hit and in response changes her behavior by reacting aggressively or in a panic-fueled manner, cannot be simulated. Further, it cannot be simulated that the person wounded by a bad hit might cause greater damages or personal injury than might have possibly happened before the hit. This highly dynamic and emotionally charged situation for all parties involved, including the sniper, can hardly be simulated and trained for with a dummy just driving around. Also, in hostage situations, where the target person simulated by the dummy protects herself with a hostage, cannot sufficiently be simulated by the abovementioned dummy arrangements. Another situation that is very difficult to train is when the target person simulated by the dummy drops her weapon for whatever reason. As soon as a target person is unarmed in real life, for instance the so called “final shot to save lives” is neither ethically justifiable nor legally permitted. So the short and possibly unexpected dropping of a weapon can change the entire fighting situation very suddenly and significantly.